Sunday, January 07, 2007

My second range test with the XD40

My first trip to the range with my XD, I shot horribly. Ten years of not shooting at all will do that to you. I suppose getting all of the shots on the target itself was okay, but still not what I'd like. I was literally all over the target. I burned through 200 rounds of Remington UMC 180gr that time, and liked how it performed. The gun was shooting more accurately than me. Also, I shoot left-handed.

My second range trip was similar to the first, but instead I brought 150 rounds of Blazer Brass 180gr to see which ammo my gun likes best. Like the Remington, it fed smoothly and I've got no complaints about it. I shot all my targets at 7 yards. My first five targets were 7.25-inch bullseye targets, with the 10-ring being .75 inches diameter. Most of my shots went low and/or to the left. On my second, third and fourth targets, I had a few land low and to the right.

My next five targets were silhouette targets at 7 yards. These are light blue silhouettes with bullseyes at center mass and right in the middle of the head. The first silhouette was pretty much a throwaway, as I was a bit frustrated from the first five targets. So, I put two magazines' worth into it to relax a little.

The second target, however, was a big improvement. I concentrated my first magazine on the centermass target and did okay. I got six out of 12 into at least the 6-ring and two rounds in the 10. 5 of the remaining 6 still hit within the silhouette and one nicked the edge of the paper. I still was pulling left. The second magazine was even better. I aimed for the head target and decided to fire a bit faster than I had on the previous magazine. My grouping tightened up considerably. Sadly, I didn't hit anything but the silhouette as I shot mostly low and to the left. I will say however that said target will need major jaw surgery on its right side.

The third target was where I switched from putting 12 rounds in each magazine to 10 rounds. Again, I was using a silhouette similar to the first two. I fired off four rounds at a very small target and was lucky to hit the paper with three. I tried firing slowly again for both the head and the center mass targets and did a bit worse. My center mass targets were still down and low, but five rounds hit the target. None in the ten ring though. I also had one flyer to the right. The head target was much worse as the tight grouping went away. Three shots hit the center mass target and the remaining rounds hit the silhouette, mostly down and to the left.

The fourth silhouette target got even worse. With the exception of a few rounds, everything was low. My arms were getting sore.

The fifth target I decided to try firing five at the head, five at the chest and finish off my ammunition. I had no grouping to speak of and as usual, shots were going low and to the left. With that, I packed it in and went home. I took my targets home and compared them with the training targets I found on this forum and I see what I need to avoid on my next trip to the range.

Overall, though, I can say that I'll perforate someone's liver and right lung if I aim for center mass. I think that counts for something, he said, trying to put a humorous spin on poor technique. I need to work mostly on my grip and how much of my finger I put on the trigger.